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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mug — to rob
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cue — a signal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tear — to rip
  7. press — a publisher
  8. court — of law
  9. mug — a cup
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. press — to push
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. mug — a face
  19. court — for sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. court — of a king
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cue — for pool

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