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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pop — soda
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — to push
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cell — a phone

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