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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. shower — rain
  3. press — to push
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — an amount
  7. shower — to wash
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. content — the amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cue — a hint
  18. content — happy
  19. cue — for pool
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. content — videos and posts

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