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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rule — a law
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rule — government
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. degree — from a university
  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