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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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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. present — the time now
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. clip — a video
  6. root — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. root — the cause
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pop — to visit
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spring — the season
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spring — of water
  20. pop — music
  21. root — of a word
  22. present — there
  23. cue — a hint
  24. hand — in cards

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