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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fall — the season
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. content — the amount
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. scale — in music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. press — to push
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. press — a publisher
  18. content — happy
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — a trace
  24. scale — for weighing

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