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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cap — of ice
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — to push
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — to play on

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