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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. band — a music group
  4. cue — for pool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. cue — a hint
  11. band — a ring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — all right
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cue — a signal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a line
  20. tear — from crying
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — newspapers

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