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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 124 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. land — ground
  3. degree — an amount
  4. press — newspapers
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. last — to go on
  13. land — to come down
  14. last — final
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. degree — from a university
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fork — in a road
  20. press — to push
  21. land — a country
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. last — finally
  24. degree — temperature

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