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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fall — the season
  13. press — newspapers
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — to push
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. band — a ring
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. jam — a tight spot

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