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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — a hint
  3. degree — an amount
  4. press — newspapers
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cue — a signal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — for golf
  10. degree — from a university
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. press — a publisher
  13. club — a group
  14. cue — for pool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. last — to go on
  17. press — to push
  18. sharp — clever
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. degree — temperature
  21. last — final
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — with an edge

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