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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. race — humankind
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. board — to get on
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bank — of a river
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stock — shares
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stock — goods
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — an amount
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. press — to push
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. degree — temperature
  24. press — newspapers

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