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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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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 · hand · current · cabinet · can · cue · date · stick

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. current — of water
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — electric
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — help
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. current — happening now
  14. can — to be able to
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. press — to push
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — a tin

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