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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. press — to push
  7. sharp — clever
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stock — goods
  12. spring — a coil
  13. degree — temperature
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stand — to bear
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stock — shares
  24. spring — the season

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