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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.

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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pop — soda
  5. wake — a trail
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fine — high quality
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fine — all right
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. press — to push
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. degree — temperature
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. press — newspapers
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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