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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.

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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. press — a publisher
  3. degree — temperature
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lean — to bend
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to click
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lean — thin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — from a university
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stock — shares

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