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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. season — in sport
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — an amount
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. press — to push
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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