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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitch — completely
  4. current — happening now
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spring — a coil
  7. press — to push
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. current — electric
  12. spring — of water
  13. degree — an amount
  14. roll — a cake
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spring — the season
  19. press — a publisher
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — of water
  23. roll — a list
  24. prune — to trim

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