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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mate — a partner
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cap — a hat
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. press — newspapers
  10. clip — a video
  11. cap — of ice
  12. swing — music
  13. press — to push
  14. clip — for paper
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cue — a hint
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chip — for betting

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