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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — letters
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spell — magic
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. club — a group
  16. press — a publisher
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cell — in biology
  21. key — the most important part
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. club — for golf
  24. jam — a tight spot

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