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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. craft — a skill
  5. firm — a company
  6. spring — a coil
  7. firm — steady
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — a lid
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spring — the season
  14. cap — of ice
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. press — a publisher
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cap — a hat
  20. craft — boats
  21. press — to push
  22. firm — decided
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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