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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. last — finally
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — temperature
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — to go on
  7. press — to push
  8. mark — a grade
  9. press — newspapers
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. press — a publisher
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. last — final
  17. mark — a trace
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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