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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spell — letters
  3. pass — a permit
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. spell — magic
  7. press — to push
  8. wound — an injury
  9. capital — a city
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pit — in a race
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spell — a short time
  16. capital — money
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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