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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — a path
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. press — newspapers
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — hasty
  14. press — a publisher
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. can — a tin
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. can — to be able to
  21. degree — an amount
  22. track — a song
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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