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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rule — a law
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chest — a box
  12. rule — government
  13. race — a contest
  14. degree — from a university
  15. press — newspapers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chest — of your body
  18. press — to push
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. race — humankind
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mouse — the animal

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