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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bound — certain
  4. cue — a signal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. press — to push
  12. land — a country
  13. race — humankind
  14. press — newspapers
  15. race — the arms race
  16. scale — size or range
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. land — to come down
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. land — ground
  22. bound — obliged
  23. race — a contest
  24. mine — for digging

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