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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cue — a hint
  10. net — in sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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