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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. degree — from a university
  4. scale — in music
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. track — a song
  11. board — to get on
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. present — a gift
  18. degree — temperature
  19. present — the time now
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. present — there
  22. press — newspapers
  23. track — a path
  24. pitch — completely

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