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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. track — a song
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — a hint
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cue — a signal
  22. clip — a video
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cue — for pool

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