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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: kid · straw · fall · press · court · rock · game · cue

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cue — a signal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. court — of a king
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kid — child
  11. press — to push
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of law
  14. rock — music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cue — for pool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. court — for sport

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