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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. degree — from a university
  3. press — a publisher
  4. season — of the year
  5. fall — the season
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. season — in sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. press — to push
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fine — all right
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bulb — for light

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