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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: stick · press · jam · pitch · degree · hand · ground · perch

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ground — a position
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — temperature
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. press — to push
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. degree — from a university
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hand — in cards
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. perch — for a bird

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