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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pop — music
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ball — a great time
  12. charge — a price
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. charge — electricity
  15. degree — temperature
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. charge — in control
  19. pop — to visit
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pop — soda
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cabinet — ministers

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