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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — of your body
  5. staff — employees
  6. chest — of your body
  7. degree — an amount
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. firm — a company
  11. march — the month
  12. firm — steady
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. press — a publisher
  15. firm — decided
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chest — a box
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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