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

Word bank: lash · bat · wound · mine · chip · press · cue · rule

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rule — a law
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chip — to eat
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rule — government

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