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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. press — to push
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. kick — in football
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mate — a partner
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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