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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — child
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. press — to push
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — farmland
  14. kid — to tease
  15. press — newspapers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. field — a subject
  23. degree — from a university
  24. firm — steady

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