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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pitch — completely
  4. swing — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hand — help
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bank — of a river
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — from a university
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. press — to push
  21. ground — a position
  22. swing — in golf
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com