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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — a tin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — an amount
  7. net — in sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. clip — a video
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — for paper
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. staff — a stick
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — temperature

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