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

Word bank: degree · nail · kick · press · pitch · row

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. press — a publisher
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — completely
  15. press — to push
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. degree — temperature
  18. kick — in football

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