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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ball — a great time
  3. staff — employees
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lean — thin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. land — a country
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. degree — temperature
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — to bend
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wind — moving air
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — newspapers
  21. land — ground
  22. degree — from a university
  23. press — to push
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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