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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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Word bank
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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: press · degree · racket · snap · fall · craft

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fall — to drop
  6. press — to push
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — a publisher
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — boats
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — newspapers
  17. craft — a skill
  18. degree — an amount

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