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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 116 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: perch · press · pitch · degree · charge · stock

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. press — to push
  2. stock — goods
  3. degree — from a university
  4. perch — the fish
  5. charge — in control
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — temperature
  8. charge — electricity
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitch — completely
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stock — shares
  16. charge — a price
  17. press — a publisher
  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