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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — of water
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. vault — a safe
  6. season — of the year
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spring — a coil
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — in sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. nail — on a finger

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