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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mug — a cup
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cap — a hat
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. mug — a face
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mate — a friend
  17. press — to push
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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