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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. sharp — clever
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. degree — an amount
  10. last — final
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — to go on
  14. press — to push
  15. deal — to handle
  16. season — in sport
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bat — the animal
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. degree — temperature
  24. season — of the year

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