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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pound · object · cue · cold · fan · rock · press · mate

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. object — a thing
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rock — music
  13. object — to protest
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. press — to push
  16. mate — a partner
  17. object — an aim
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mate — a friend
  23. press — a publisher
  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