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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. season — in sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. present — a gift
  10. press — newspapers
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. season — of the year
  15. present — the time now
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ball — a dance
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — from a university
  22. band — a ring
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bear — to put up with

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