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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. press — to push
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. face — part of the head
  11. game — a match
  12. face — to confront
  13. press — newspapers
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. degree — an amount
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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