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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mate — a partner
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. press — to push
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cue — for pool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — a friend
  24. drill — army training

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