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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cap — a lid
  3. firm — decided
  4. board — to get on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. firm — steady
  8. capital — money
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — newspapers
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. press — a publisher
  18. capital — a city
  19. firm — a company
  20. board — a committee
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. capital — a big letter

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