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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — child
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. band — a music group
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cue — a hint
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cue — a signal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mark — a grade
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kid — to tease
  24. calf — a young animal

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