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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. row — to paddle
  11. press — to push
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bank — of a river
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. press — newspapers
  19. drill — army training
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. drill — a practice
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. press — a publisher

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