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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. capital — a city
  4. suit — to fit
  5. press — a publisher
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. capital — money
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. date — the fruit
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. suit — in cards
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mug — a cup
  18. press — to push
  19. degree — from a university
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. press — newspapers
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. suit — clothes

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