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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cue — for pool
  3. last — final
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. file — a line of people
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — after costs
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — in sport
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cue — a signal
  18. net — for catching
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. press — to push
  21. file — a document
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a tool

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