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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. press — to push
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. degree — temperature
  8. press — newspapers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — a weight
  12. capital — a city
  13. pop — music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. press — a publisher
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cue — a signal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — soda
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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