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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. track — a path
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mine — for digging
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — a song
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cue — for pool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. press — to push
  12. cue — a hint
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. press — newspapers
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. game — a match
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. jam — a tight spot

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