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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — from a university
  3. press — to push
  4. spell — letters
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — a series
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spell — magic
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rest — a break
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spell — a short time

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