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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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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: degree · stick · fork · bear · band · pit · game · press

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — wild animals
  8. degree — from a university
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pit — in a race
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — a match
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a ring
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. band — a music group

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