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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — a tin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — to sink
  6. degree — from a university
  7. can — to be able to
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. press — newspapers
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cold — an illness
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. can — a tin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. press — to push
  24. dip — a sauce

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