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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. press — a publisher
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rule — government
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bound — obliged
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. press — to push
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. season — in sport
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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