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

Word bank: bore · clip · stand · press · cue · kid · mark · cell

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mark — a grade
  6. press — to push
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cue — a signal
  9. clip — a video
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bore — to drill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stand — to bear
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bore — to tire

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