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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cue — for pool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. tube — a container
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cue — a hint
  11. tube — the underground
  12. firm — steady
  13. press — a publisher
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. firm — decided
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. firm — a company
  19. race — a contest
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. race — humankind
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cold — an illness

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