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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — certain
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stand — to bear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ground — a position
  16. tear — to rip
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pop — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pop — soda
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mine — belonging to me

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