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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. degree — from a university
  3. press — to push
  4. object — a thing
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — temperature
  7. press — a publisher
  8. file — a line of people
  9. current — happening now
  10. suit — clothes
  11. current — of water
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. object — an aim
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. clip — to cut
  18. object — to protest
  19. press — newspapers
  20. current — electric
  21. file — a document
  22. clip — a video
  23. degree — an amount
  24. file — a tool

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