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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: rush · degree · race · hide · chest · dip · press · wake

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. chest — a box
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. race — humankind
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — to sink
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — hurry
  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