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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. press — newspapers
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fall — the season
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — to push
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kid — child
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. content — happy
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fall — to drop

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