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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cue — a signal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. press — to push
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. club — for golf
  7. cue — a hint
  8. press — a publisher
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. club — a group
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cue — for pool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. deal — to handle

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