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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. press — newspapers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. key — the most important part
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. press — to push
  13. rest — a break
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. press — a publisher
  16. key — in music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rest — what's left
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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