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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. press — to push
  4. club — for golf
  5. degree — an amount
  6. press — newspapers
  7. club — a group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. band — a ring
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tube — a container
  21. band — a music group
  22. cell — a phone
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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