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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 116 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. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cell — in biology

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