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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. club — for golf
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. club — for dancing
  5. degree — from a university
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — a break
  11. suit — to fit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — what's left
  16. suit — in cards
  17. club — a group
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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