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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. land — to come down
  5. root — the cause
  6. firm — steady
  7. degree — temperature
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. press — to push
  11. root — of a word
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. press — newspapers
  15. scale — in music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — low music
  18. land — ground
  19. bass — the fish
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. land — a country

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