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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. clip — a video
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. press — to push
  6. game — a match
  7. pop — soda
  8. cap — of ice
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pop — to visit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cap — a lid
  14. press — newspapers
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — music
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cap — a hat

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