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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. club — a group
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. race — a contest
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pop — music
  11. press — to push
  12. race — the arms race
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pop — to visit
  15. press — a publisher
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. club — for dancing
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. race — humankind
  23. fork — in a road
  24. club — for golf

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