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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 124 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pound — a weight
  3. charge — a price
  4. content — the amount
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. press — a publisher
  7. content — happy
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. object — an aim
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bore — to drill
  15. object — a thing
  16. charge — in control
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. object — to protest
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chair — a leader
  22. degree — temperature
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. press — to push

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