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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. press — to push
  7. kid — child
  8. press — a publisher
  9. degree — temperature
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — from a university
  16. season — in sport
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lash — an eyelash

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