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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.

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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: cabinet · foot · degree · march · press · object · deal · drill

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. drill — a practice
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. foot — a measure
  6. deal — to handle
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. object — a thing
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. object — an aim
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. march — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. degree — temperature
  20. drill — army training
  21. degree — an amount
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. object — to protest

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