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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. press — a publisher
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. press — to push

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