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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mark — a grade
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. degree — from a university
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mark — a trace
  11. board — to get on
  12. dip — to sink
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bark — to shout
  17. board — a committee
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. ball — a great time

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