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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. field — a subject
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — farmland
  6. fine — high quality
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. band — a ring
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. field — for sport
  17. band — a music group
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — to keep track
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. track — a path
  22. press — to push
  23. track — a song
  24. degree — from a university

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