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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. degree — an amount
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chair — a leader
  11. land — a country
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. land — to come down
  14. staff — a stick
  15. press — newspapers
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. net — in sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — to push
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — ground
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — a publisher

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