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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. band — a music group
  3. toast — bread
  4. press — a publisher
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. face — to point toward
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — what's left
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rest — a break
  12. degree — from a university
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. degree — an amount
  15. game — a match
  16. face — to confront
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — wild animals
  20. roll — a list
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. roll — a cake
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a ring

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