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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: mark · press · fan · bat · mine · current · degree · jam

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. degree — an amount
  4. press — to push
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — of water
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mark — a grade
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. degree — from a university
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. degree — temperature
  24. jam — a tight spot

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