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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — an amount
  3. object — to protest
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pit — in a race
  6. game — a match
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pit — a hole
  11. press — a publisher
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. degree — temperature
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — to push
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — for digging
  22. staff — a stick
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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