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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. press — newspapers
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cue — a hint
  7. press — to push
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tube — a container
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — thin
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — the Cold War

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