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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. can — a tin
  5. rush — hurry
  6. press — a publisher
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. degree — temperature
  9. press — to push
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rash — hasty
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a great time
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rash — a series
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. game — a match
  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