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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mark — a grade
  3. press — to push
  4. mark — a trace
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rest — what's left
  15. degree — temperature
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wind — moving air
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — a supporter

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