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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rush — hurry
  3. band — a ring
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. charge — a price
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. degree — an amount
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bass — low music
  14. press — to push
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. charge — in control
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. press — newspapers
  22. snap — to click
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a rubber band

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