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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. press — a publisher
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. swing — music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — to push
  11. cue — a signal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cue — a hint
  15. swing — in golf
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cue — for pool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bore — to drill

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