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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rash — a series
  8. press — to push
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. court — of a king
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — in a road
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. court — for sport
  24. press — a publisher

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