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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. press — to push
  3. ground — crushed
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ground — a position
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. press — newspapers
  24. calf — a young animal

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