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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rock — music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rock — a stone
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a document
  9. stock — shares
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — a partner
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — from a university
  17. file — a tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — newspapers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. perch — for a bird

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