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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. press — a publisher
  3. can — a tin
  4. key — the most important part
  5. degree — an amount
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — a country
  8. degree — temperature
  9. can — to be able to
  10. press — newspapers
  11. land — ground
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. march — music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. land — to come down
  17. bark — to shout
  18. shower — rain
  19. key — for a lock
  20. press — to push
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — to wash
  23. key — in music
  24. march — the month

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