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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. press — a publisher
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to click
  7. cap — a hat
  8. press — to push
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. track — to keep track
  11. degree — from a university
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. track — a path
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cap — of ice

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