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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. press — to push
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cue — a hint
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — an illness
  20. tube — a container
  21. cell — a phone
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rest — what's left

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