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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. mate — to breed
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cell — in biology
  11. clip — for paper
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cue — a hint
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cell — a phone
  22. row — a line
  23. rule — a law
  24. mouse — for a computer

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