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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 be taking the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pop — to visit
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pop — music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — a container
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mug — to rob
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mug — a face
  24. shower — rain

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