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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. swing — music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. swing — to play on
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bass — the fish
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bore — to tire
  21. press — to push
  22. degree — an amount
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bore — to drill

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