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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. press — newspapers
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. hand — in cards
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — a trace
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — help
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. press — to push
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cue — a signal

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