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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cue — a signal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. press — to push
  24. nail — for a hammer

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