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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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. kick — with a leg
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. clip — a video
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pound — a weight
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. degree — from a university
  24. clip — for paper

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