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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: press · degree · kid · nail · track · pitch · racket · bulb

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kid — child
  5. bulb — for light
  6. track — a path
  7. degree — temperature
  8. press — a publisher
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. press — to push
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. track — a song
  21. pitch — completely
  22. degree — from a university
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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