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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: pitch · degree · object · tear · nail · date · press · bass

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — a publisher
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bass — low music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — a thing
  18. tear — from crying
  19. object — an aim
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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