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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. press — to push
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rest — a break
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rest — what's left
  14. board — to get on
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — a committee
  22. stand — to bear
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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