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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — from a university
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — temperature
  11. squash — to crush
  12. press — newspapers
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — to push
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ground — a position

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