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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. press — a publisher
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cue — a signal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. net — for catching
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — for pool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cue — a hint
  12. snap — to click
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — after costs
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. net — in sport
  22. game — a match
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bulb — for light

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