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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. capital — money
  5. cue — a hint
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rest — a break
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. shower — to wash
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kick — in football
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. shower — rain
  23. press — to push
  24. kick — with a leg

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