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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. press — a publisher
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — the earth
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — an amount
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rock — a stone
  18. press — to push
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chest — of your body
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chest — a box
  24. fan — to cool the air

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