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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. pop — music
  3. scale — in music
  4. drill — army training
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pop — soda
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cue — for pool
  14. content — the amount
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. press — newspapers
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. content — happy
  20. drill — a practice
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cell — in biology
  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