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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — help
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — in cards
  6. net — in sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. press — a publisher
  10. net — for catching
  11. rule — government
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rule — a law
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — after costs
  20. object — a thing
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a signal
  24. game — a match

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