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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — to come down
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. press — to push
  9. kick — in football
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. land — ground
  14. press — newspapers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. land — a country
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a tool
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — a publisher
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — temperature

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