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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. cue — a hint
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wind — moving air
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. squash — the sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. press — a publisher
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. craft — a skill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — a container
  19. kid — to tease
  20. press — to push
  21. cue — a signal
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — clever
  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