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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. press — to push
  7. capital — money
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. capital — a city
  10. fine — high quality
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. current — of water
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fine — all right
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. press — newspapers
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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