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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. press — to push
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — a publisher
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. press — newspapers
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — a video
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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