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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. press — to push
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — for catching
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. court — of a king
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of law
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. court — for sport
  24. degree — from a university

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