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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cap — of ice
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. press — to push
  5. cap — a lid
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. toast — bread
  13. press — a publisher
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. calf — a young animal

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