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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. press — a publisher
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. net — for catching
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — an amount
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. snap — to click
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bat — the animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — in sport
  24. fine — high quality

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