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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. press — to push
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bore — to drill
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bore — to tire
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. root — the cause
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cell — a phone

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