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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cue — a hint
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. press — to push
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pop — soda
  19. cue — for pool
  20. scale — in music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. scale — size or range

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