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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. season — in sport
  7. lean — to bend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. roll — a cake
  14. net — after costs
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — an amount
  18. press — to push
  19. season — of the year
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. net — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. arm — part of the body

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