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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — to come from
  13. press — newspapers
  14. snap — to click
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of law
  24. cue — a hint

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