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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. cue — a hint
  4. court — of a king
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cue — a signal
  8. press — to push
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. roll — a cake
  11. court — of law
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — for sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. clip — a video
  19. roll — a list
  20. cue — for pool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. press — newspapers
  24. can — a tin

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