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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ball — a dance
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. press — newspapers
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. press — to push
  18. hide — animal skin

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