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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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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — a video
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. press — a publisher
  7. clip — for paper
  8. press — newspapers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spell — magic
  13. swing — music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. spell — letters
  16. press — to push
  17. clip — to cut
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stock — a soup base

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