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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. press — to push
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. snap — to click
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cue — for pool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. court — for sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. court — of a king
  16. row — to paddle
  17. court — of law
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. row — a line
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fork — in a road

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