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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cold — not warm
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bore — to tire
  7. firm — a company
  8. swing — music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cold — an illness
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. firm — steady
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. degree — from a university
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. dip — a sauce

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