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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pit — a hole
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. press — to push
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chair — a leader
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bat — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cue — a signal
  24. clip — a video

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