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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. spring — of water
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. face — to point toward
  8. can — to be able to
  9. press — to push
  10. can — a tin
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. can — a tin
  16. face — to confront
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spring — the season
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spring — a coil

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