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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 meat?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spell — letters
  5. season — in sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. degree — from a university
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — of the year
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. snap — to click
  13. rush — hurry
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. degree — temperature
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. degree — an amount

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