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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. present — a gift
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. capital — a city
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — from a university
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. face — to confront
  13. present — the time now
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — to push
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — an amount
  19. press — a publisher
  20. squash — to crush
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. capital — money
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bat — in an idiom

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