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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cap — of ice
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. face — to confront
  13. suit — to fit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — in cards
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. degree — an amount
  24. leaves — to go away

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