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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · pitch · degree · trunk · bowl · press

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. press — a publisher
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. press — to push
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitch — a sports field

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