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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. net — in sport
  3. press — to push
  4. drill — army training
  5. can — to be able to
  6. drill — a practice
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — after costs
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — an amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — the season
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. press — newspapers
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — temperature
  24. dip — to sink

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