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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. press — to push
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. club — for golf
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cue — a signal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rule — government
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. club — a group
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — a publisher
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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