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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. press — to push
  4. saw — the tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cue — for pool
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. saw — the tool
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bat — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cue — a hint
  23. press — newspapers
  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