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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cue — a signal
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mark — a trace
  8. press — to push
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bound — obliged
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bound — certain
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a music group
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a ring
  24. tear — to rip

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