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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mark — a grade
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — to push
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — a publisher
  16. craft — boats
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fork — in a road
  21. scale — in music
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. craft — a skill

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