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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. snap — to click
  3. cue — a signal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. press — to push
  6. file — a tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cue — for pool
  11. object — to protest
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. object — an aim
  16. file — a document
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. staff — employees
  19. object — a thing
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bat — the animal

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