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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · saw · capital · march · fan · cue · leaves · kick

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. capital — a city
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. capital — money
  18. press — to push
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — for pool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. press — a publisher
  24. march — the month

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