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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — an amount
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. press — a publisher
  7. charge — in control
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. charge — electricity
  16. object — to protest
  17. cold — an illness
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. dip — to sink
  22. object — an aim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. charge — a price

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