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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — temperature
  4. press — to push
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. key — the most important part
  10. land — ground
  11. key — in music
  12. press — newspapers
  13. degree — from a university
  14. land — to come down
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — a publisher
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pitch — completely
  20. band — a music group
  21. land — a country
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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