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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. press — a publisher
  4. land — a country
  5. cue — for pool
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — to come down
  16. cap — a hat
  17. squash — to crush
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. land — ground
  20. cue — a hint
  21. press — to push
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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