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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. toast — bread
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fall — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cell — in biology
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. press — a publisher
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cue — a signal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. press — to push

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