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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: cue · cap · mouse · press · fall · mine · patient · charge

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cap — a hat
  4. charge — a price
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fall — the season
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — newspapers
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — for pool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. press — to push
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cue — a signal

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