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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: ball · press · tube · cell · mug · toast · rule · degree

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — temperature
  3. toast — bread
  4. press — to push
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cell — in biology
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. degree — an amount
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rule — a law
  17. tube — a container
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — from a university
  20. press — newspapers
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rule — government
  24. cell — in a prison

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