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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · cap · fine · face · cold · rash · cue · press

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. face — to confront
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — for pool
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cue — a signal
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cue — a hint

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