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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · pit · squash · press · mug · season · stick · rash

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mug — a face
  3. press — to push
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — temperature
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mug — to rob
  23. squash — to crush
  24. season — in sport

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