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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
468
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: ball · straw · can · stand · net · cue · press · cold

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stand — to bear
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. net — for catching
  8. cue — a hint
  9. can — a tin
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. net — in sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. net — after costs
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ball — a great time
  21. press — to push
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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