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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cap — of ice
  4. object — an aim
  5. stock — goods
  6. cap — a lid
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stock — shares
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mine — for digging
  15. degree — temperature
  16. press — to push
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. object — a thing
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. object — to protest
  23. wake — a trail
  24. degree — an amount

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