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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. press — newspapers
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — crushed
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — a position
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. fall — to drop
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fall — the season
  22. stock — shares
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — from a university

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