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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. plane — a tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. degree — from a university
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. march — the month
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cell — in biology
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pit — in a race
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. march — the month
  22. press — to push
  23. march — music
  24. cell — a phone

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