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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. firm — a company
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bank — for money
  6. swing — to play on
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chair — a leader
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pop — soda
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pop — to visit
  22. press — to push
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — a publisher

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