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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: cell · cue · straw · safe · game · hide · press · march

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cell — in biology
  3. game — a match
  4. cue — a signal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. press — to push
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. march — music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — newspapers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cue — a hint
  24. safe — a strongbox

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