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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. degree — an amount
  7. date — the fruit
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. degree — temperature
  18. net — after costs
  19. chair — a leader
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — for catching
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. chair — to sit on

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