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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. object — to protest
  7. stock — shares
  8. scale — in music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. object — a thing
  13. wake — a trail
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stock — goods
  16. object — an aim
  17. scale — size or range
  18. degree — from a university

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