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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. last — to go on
  3. clip — to cut
  4. season — of the year
  5. drill — army training
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. press — to push
  8. last — finally
  9. clip — a video
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. press — newspapers
  13. clip — for paper
  14. shower — rain
  15. drill — the tool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — final
  19. club — a group
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. club — for golf
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cue — a signal
  24. drill — a practice

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