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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stand — to bear
  4. press — a publisher
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stem — to come from
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. press — to push
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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