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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — a hint
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. press — to push
  14. hand — help
  15. press — a publisher
  16. race — humankind
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cue — for pool
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. race — a contest
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — newspapers

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