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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — a break
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rest — what's left
  9. club — a group
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. press — a publisher
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. club — for dancing
  16. press — to push
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. club — for golf
  19. cue — a hint
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — a signal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cold — an illness

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