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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. swing — music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fall — the season
  10. squash — to crush
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — newspapers
  14. squash — the sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. degree — from a university
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. press — to push
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. degree — an amount

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