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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — an amount
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — a price
  19. court — of law
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. court — of a king
  22. clip — for paper
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — electricity

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