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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. row — a line
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — temperature
  17. row — to paddle
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. degree — from a university

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