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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. present — the time now
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bat — the animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. present — there
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — to push
  16. cold — not warm
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rock — music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cold — an illness
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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