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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. press — a publisher
  3. capital — a city
  4. fine — all right
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. degree — from a university
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — to come from
  13. press — to push
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — high quality
  21. vault — a safe
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. press — newspapers
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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