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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. press — a publisher
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitch — completely
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. swing — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. swing — to play on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — to push
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — newspapers
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. swing — in golf

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