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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. degree — an amount
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. press — to push
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kid — to tease
  10. toast — bread
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kid — child
  13. pitch — completely
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. degree — temperature
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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