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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: tear · march · cue · game · toast · press · bat · hide

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — to rip
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. march — music
  6. cue — a signal
  7. toast — bread
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. game — a match
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. press — newspapers
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cue — a hint
  22. march — the month
  23. bat — the animal
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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