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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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Word bank
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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: degree · mug · press · net · drill · pop · fall · cue

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fall — the season
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pop — to visit
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cue — for pool
  11. mug — a face
  12. drill — army training
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — to push
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pop — soda
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — the tool
  24. degree — an amount

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