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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. cap — a lid
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — a city
  8. craft — boats
  9. suit — in cards
  10. press — newspapers
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. craft — a skill
  15. capital — money
  16. suit — to fit
  17. cap — of ice
  18. degree — from a university
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a hat
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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