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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. content — happy
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rest — a break
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. press — to push
  13. mug — a face
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mug — to rob
  19. press — a publisher
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mug — a cup
  22. content — the amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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