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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · press · degree · bay · snap · firm

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rule — a law
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — a company
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. firm — decided
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. press — to push
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rule — government
  18. snap — to click

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