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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rash — a series
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. press — newspapers
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. press — a publisher
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — the underground
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cue — a signal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. press — to push

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