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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — an amount
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. vault — a safe
  7. kid — child
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. press — to push
  11. degree — from a university
  12. object — to protest
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. object — an aim
  15. degree — temperature
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. object — a thing

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