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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. press — to push
  3. club — a group
  4. stem — to come from
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. dip — to sink
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — temperature
  18. press — newspapers
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — low music

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