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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. season — of the year
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pop — music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pop — soda
  13. drill — army training
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — a publisher
  16. season — in sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. drill — the tool
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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