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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: present · pitch · degree · hide · press · pit · rock · pitcher

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — a gift
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rock — music
  9. press — to push
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rock — a stone
  22. present — there
  23. pit — a hole
  24. degree — temperature

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