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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wind — moving air
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. press — to push
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — to drill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. degree — an amount

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