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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — to come down
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. fine — all right
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fine — high quality
  15. press — to push
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mark — a trace
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mark — a grade
  24. degree — temperature

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