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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kid — to tease
  3. object — to protest
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. press — newspapers
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rule — government
  12. mark — a trace
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. object — a thing
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rule — a law
  24. kid — child

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