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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. field — farmland
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — temperature
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — a publisher
  12. field — a subject
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — to push
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — an amount
  17. field — for sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. clip — for paper
  22. toast — bread
  23. fall — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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