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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · press · date · mark · key · pit · degree · perch

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — in music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. press — to push
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — a publisher
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. degree — from a university
  16. press — newspapers
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pit — in a race
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pit — a hole
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. key — the most important part

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