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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ball — a great time
  10. race — the arms race
  11. current — electric
  12. ball — a dance
  13. degree — an amount
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. row — a line
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. press — to push
  22. race — humankind
  23. swing — music
  24. race — a contest

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