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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. snap — to click
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — an amount
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rock — a stone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — certain
  19. chest — a box
  20. press — to push
  21. rock — music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fan — a supporter

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