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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. degree — an amount
  3. present — a gift
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bank — for money
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. race — the arms race
  8. degree — from a university
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. present — the time now
  21. degree — temperature
  22. deal — to handle
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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