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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fine — high quality
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — to push
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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