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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — from a university
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — hasty
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — an amount
  19. key — in music
  20. press — a publisher
  21. craft — boats
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. press — to push
  24. craft — a handicraft

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