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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. field — farmland
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — to come from
  10. press — a publisher
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. press — newspapers
  16. field — for sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitch — completely
  24. press — to push

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