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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. press — a publisher
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spring — of water
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. row — a line
  14. bass — low music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spring — the season
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. degree — temperature
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. press — newspapers
  24. last — final

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