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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 124 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hand — help
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rest — what's left
  7. face — to confront
  8. kid — child
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. press — to push
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rest — a break
  19. cue — a signal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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