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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. degree — an amount
  6. present — a gift
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. press — to push
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — there
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stand — to bear
  20. present — the time now
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stand — for spectators

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