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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 116 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rock — music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. press — to push
  15. mine — for digging
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — an amount
  20. press — a publisher
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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