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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. degree — from a university
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — shares
  5. mug — a cup
  6. press — a publisher
  7. present — a gift
  8. bound — tied together
  9. press — to push
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. season — in sport
  13. present — the time now
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — there
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stock — goods
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stock — a soup base

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