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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. object — an aim
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. roll — a cake
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. press — a publisher
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — a song
  17. spell — a short time
  18. press — to push
  19. track — a path
  20. object — a thing
  21. spell — letters
  22. degree — an amount
  23. roll — a list
  24. object — to protest

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