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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. court — of law
  2. mate — a friend
  3. press — to push
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — to breed
  12. season — in sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pass — a permit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — a partner
  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