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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — to go on
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. date — the fruit
  9. press — to push
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. last — final
  12. degree — from a university
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. press — a publisher
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wind — moving air
  19. snap — to click
  20. last — finally
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. press — newspapers

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