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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bat — the animal
  4. kid — child
  5. press — a publisher
  6. band — a ring
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. band — a music group
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cue — a signal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ground — a position
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bass — low music
  24. kid — to tease

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