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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fine — all right
  7. club — a group
  8. root — of a plant
  9. press — to push
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — a hint
  14. root — of a word
  15. fine — high quality
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pop — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pop — soda
  20. press — a publisher
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cue — for pool
  23. club — for golf
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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