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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. net — for catching
  3. vault — a safe
  4. charge — a price
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pop — music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. face — part of the head
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pop — soda
  13. face — to point toward
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — to push
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — from a university
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. charge — electricity
  21. press — a publisher
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. charge — in control
  24. net — after costs

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