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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pop — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. hand — help
  9. season — of the year
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pop — soda
  16. degree — an amount
  17. press — newspapers
  18. season — in sport
  19. press — to push
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — temperature

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