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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. degree — temperature
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — from a university
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cell — in biology
  16. degree — an amount
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cell — a phone
  21. press — newspapers
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cell — in a prison

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