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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. staff — a stick
  3. degree — temperature
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. press — to push
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pop — music
  15. court — of a king
  16. press — a publisher
  17. court — of law
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pop — soda
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  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