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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. press — a publisher
  5. court — of law
  6. race — humankind
  7. degree — an amount
  8. race — the arms race
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — to push
  11. race — a contest
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — a video
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. scale — in music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. clip — to cut
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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