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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 120 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: suit · press · shower · can · cue · kid · cabinet · straw

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cue — a signal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. press — a publisher
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cue — for pool
  11. can — a tin
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. suit — to fit
  16. press — to push
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — rain
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — dry grass

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