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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. degree — temperature
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rule — government
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ground — a position
  15. rule — a law
  16. press — a publisher
  17. shower — rain
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — to push
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mouse — for a computer

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