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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — finally
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — after costs
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. degree — from a university
  14. deal — to handle
  15. net — in sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. last — to go on
  19. press — to push
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — final
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — a tin
  24. deal — a big deal

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