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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — from a university
  6. file — a tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. press — newspapers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. dip — to sink
  18. file — a document
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fan — to cool the air

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