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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — from a university
  5. scale — in music
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — size or range
  8. suit — to fit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mug — a face
  13. cell — a phone
  14. press — to push
  15. fall — the season
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. degree — an amount
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fall — to drop

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