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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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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: clip · press · hand · band · wave · kick · chair · cue

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cue — a hint
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hand — in cards
  7. band — a music group
  8. clip — a video
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cue — a signal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chair — a leader
  15. kick — in football
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hand — help
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. press — to push
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. press — a publisher
  24. band — a rubber band

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