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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cue — for pool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. season — in sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. season — of the year
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of a king
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. court — of law
  19. spring — of water
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — the season
  24. cue — a signal

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