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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. face — to confront
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. charge — in control
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stock — shares
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — to push
  18. face — part of the head
  19. press — newspapers
  20. face — to point toward
  21. charge — a price
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cold — an illness

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