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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cue — a hint
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cue — a signal
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. press — to push
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. land — ground
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — to come down
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mine — for digging
  16. land — a country
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cue — for pool

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