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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spring — a coil
  3. degree — from a university
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. press — to push
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spring — of water
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spring — the season
  21. press — a publisher
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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