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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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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: press · mark · sharp · degree · pass · present · track · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pass — a permit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. track — a song
  7. mark — a trace
  8. degree — from a university
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — a publisher
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — to push
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. sharp — clever
  22. track — a path
  23. press — newspapers
  24. track — to keep track

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