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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. current — happening now
  3. stem — to come from
  4. press — to push
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. court — of law
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. can — to be able to
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. current — electric
  14. court — of a king
  15. can — a tin
  16. ball — a great time
  17. present — there
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ball — a dance
  20. current — of water
  21. present — a gift
  22. court — for sport
  23. press — newspapers
  24. present — the time now

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