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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: row · mine · present · press · pass · cell · cue · ruler

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. press — to push
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cue — for pool
  13. row — a line
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. row — to paddle

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