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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. track — a song
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cold — an illness
  7. track — a path
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rock — a stone
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cold — not warm
  13. press — to push
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. ball — a dance
  17. plane — a tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rock — music
  22. object — a thing
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — to keep track

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