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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. degree — an amount
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — to go on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bore — to tire
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bore — to drill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. last — finally
  16. cap — a hat
  17. last — final
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. press — to push
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pit — a hole

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