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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spell — letters
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — to go on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cue — for pool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — a hint
  13. last — finally
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. press — to push
  19. pop — music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — final
  22. spell — a short time
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pop — soda

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