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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rule — government
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. kid — child
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. press — to push
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. degree — temperature

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