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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. land — a country
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — to push
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stand — to bear
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bound — certain
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. press — newspapers

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