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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. spell — magic
  3. pop — soda
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. pop — music
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — before a funeral

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