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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hand — in cards
  5. last — finally
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — help
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a committee
  15. ground — the earth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ground — a position
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. board — to get on
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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