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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. press — newspapers
  5. net — after costs
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. net — in sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. date — the fruit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. net — for catching
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ground — the earth

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