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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fall — the season
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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