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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cue — a hint
  4. roll — a cake
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. object — to protest
  9. press — to push
  10. kick — in football
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rash — a series
  13. cue — for pool
  14. date — the fruit
  15. object — an aim
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. object — a thing
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — a trace
  20. roll — a list
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. press — a publisher
  24. roll — on a roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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