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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bat — the animal
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. cue — for pool
  7. press — to push
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a signal
  10. net — in sport
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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