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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lean — thin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chest — a box
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cue — a signal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — of the year
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. press — to push
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mug — a face
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chest — of your body
  24. season — in sport

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