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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — hasty
  8. press — newspapers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. degree — temperature
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. press — to push
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rash — a series
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. sharp — clever

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