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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cell — in biology
  5. face — to confront
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — newspapers
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. face — to point toward
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tube — the underground
  22. press — to push
  23. cell — a phone
  24. degree — temperature

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