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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — in sport
  4. degree — temperature
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rule — government
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — from a university
  15. press — to push
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. net — after costs
  18. rule — a law

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