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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. scale — size or range
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. scale — in music
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitch — completely
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. degree — temperature
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — an amount
  17. season — in sport
  18. press — a publisher
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. press — newspapers

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