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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bound — certain
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tear — to rip
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — obliged
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rest — what's left
  16. press — newspapers
  17. suit — to fit
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — a publisher
  24. leaves — lets stay

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