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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 120 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 · mark · bat · arm · drill · press · game · hide

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — an amount
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. press — to push
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — a match
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. drill — a practice
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. press — newspapers
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. degree — from a university

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