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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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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: game · race · foot · fall · scale · wake · cue · press

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fall — the season
  3. cue — for pool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. race — a contest
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — a signal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wake — a trail
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cue — a hint
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — in music
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. press — a publisher
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — humankind
  24. press — to push

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