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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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. lie — to recline
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — to push
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. press — newspapers
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — to keep secret

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