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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rest — a break
  3. press — to push
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. degree — temperature
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — of ice
  13. press — newspapers
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a line
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cap — a hat

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