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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 120 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 water is too ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. press — to push
  3. lean — thin
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bear — the animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. press — a publisher
  14. degree — an amount
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. sharp — clever

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