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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. club — for golf
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — to push
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — help
  9. spell — magic
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. degree — temperature
  13. press — a publisher
  14. degree — an amount
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spell — letters
  19. club — a group
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. spell — a short time
  22. press — newspapers
  23. degree — from a university
  24. club — for dancing

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