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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pound — a weight
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kick — in football
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pitch — completely
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — temperature
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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