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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cue — a hint
  3. degree — an amount
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. swing — to play on
  6. press — to push
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. swing — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. shower — to wash
  12. degree — temperature
  13. press — newspapers
  14. swing — in golf
  15. shower — rain
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. degree — from a university
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cue — for pool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — a signal
  24. racket — for tennis

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