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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · degree · kid · racket · snap · swing · mouse · press

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. swing — in golf
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. swing — to play on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. swing — music
  13. pop — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — to push
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kid — child
  19. press — newspapers
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. press — a publisher
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mouse — the animal
  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