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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. track — to keep track
  4. press — to push
  5. ground — crushed
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ground — a position
  9. present — there
  10. degree — an amount
  11. present — the time now
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. present — a gift
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pass — a permit
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lash — to lash out

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