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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. charge — a price
  3. press — a publisher
  4. degree — temperature
  5. charge — electricity
  6. degree — from a university
  7. press — to push
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. band — a ring
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. charge — in control
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bat — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. band — a music group
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bowl — a dish

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