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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: bay · net · press · degree · chest · swing

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — in sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. net — after costs
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. degree — an amount
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — for catching
  14. press — newspapers
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chest — a box
  18. press — to push

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