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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — in sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. roll — a cake
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. press — to push
  16. date — the fruit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — of the year
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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