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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. swing — to play on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. swing — music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — in football
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. can — a tin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. can — a tin
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. can — to be able to
  24. degree — an amount

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