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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. march — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cue — for pool
  6. game — a match
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — a signal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cue — a hint
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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