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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. press — newspapers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. firm — decided
  20. degree — from a university
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. degree — temperature
  24. firm — a company

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