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

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. clip — a video
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. degree — from a university
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. clip — for paper

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