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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mate — a partner
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. press — newspapers
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — a coil
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. degree — an amount
  21. press — to push
  22. spring — of water
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — the season

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