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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. press — to push
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. press — a publisher
  8. court — of law
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. court — of a king
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. court — for sport
  15. present — a gift
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. press — newspapers
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. hide — animal skin

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