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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stock — shares
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. press — newspapers
  10. object — a thing
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. object — to protest
  18. press — to push
  19. stock — goods
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  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