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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: mug · press · mate · present · snap · season · degree · last

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. present — a gift
  3. mate — to breed
  4. press — a publisher
  5. present — the time now
  6. season — of the year
  7. degree — temperature
  8. present — there
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mug — a cup
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. degree — an amount
  20. last — to go on
  21. mug — to rob
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to click
  24. last — final

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