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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. press — newspapers
  3. track — a path
  4. spell — letters
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. degree — from a university
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spell — a short time
  11. press — a publisher
  12. staff — a stick
  13. track — a song
  14. degree — temperature
  15. plane — a tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — magic
  19. degree — an amount
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. track — to keep track
  24. press — to push

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