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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. present — a gift
  3. swing — to play on
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. file — a tool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. press — to push
  8. present — the time now
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cue — for pool
  11. present — there
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. press — a publisher
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. press — newspapers
  18. file — a document
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cue — a hint
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. saw — the tool

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