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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. press — to push
  7. degree — temperature
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. present — the time now
  10. spell — letters
  11. charge — a price
  12. present — there
  13. bulb — for light
  14. present — a gift
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — a series
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spell — a short time
  21. charge — in control
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bulb — for light
  24. charge — electricity

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