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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · press · degree · swing · march · roll · saw · cue

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. press — newspapers
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — a video
  6. degree — temperature
  7. clip — for paper
  8. press — a publisher
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cue — a signal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. swing — music
  14. press — to push
  15. cue — a hint
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cue — for pool
  23. march — the month
  24. roll — on a roll

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