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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wake — a trail
  3. can — a tin
  4. kick — in football
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cue — for pool
  8. charge — a price
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cue — a hint
  11. press — to push
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — in control

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