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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — low music
  6. degree — from a university
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. press — to push
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. degree — an amount

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