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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kick — in football
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of law
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tube — a container
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. snap — to click

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