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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. degree — from a university
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. swing — music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. swing — in golf
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chip — to eat
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. degree — an amount

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