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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bank — for money
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — of a king
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hand — help
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. pop — to visit
  14. press — a publisher
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pop — music
  17. bank — for money
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — of law

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