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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 120 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — to cut
  8. current — of water
  9. cue — a hint
  10. degree — an amount
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — wild animals
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pitch — completely
  15. press — to push
  16. current — happening now
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — a match
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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