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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pop — soda
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — a hat
  8. press — newspapers
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kid — to tease
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pop — music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — from a university
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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