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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. press — a publisher
  3. degree — temperature
  4. firm — a company
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. firm — steady
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mark — a grade
  12. press — to push
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. firm — decided
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spring — of water
  17. mark — a trace
  18. ball — a dance
  19. capital — a city
  20. ball — a great time
  21. degree — an amount
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — newspapers

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