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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. key — in music
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. key — the most important part
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. key — for a lock
  9. squash — to crush
  10. snap — to click
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — to push
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — the sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — temperature

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