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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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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: staff · stick · mine · wind · cue · pitch · press · arm

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. press — to push
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. staff — employees
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wind — moving air
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mine — for digging
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitch — completely

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