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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. degree — from a university
  6. press — to push
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mug — a face
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — of law
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — an amount
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mug — to rob
  21. court — for sport
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. press — newspapers

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