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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 · roll · cue · cell · game · wound · wind · temple

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cue — for pool
  8. game — a match
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — wild animals
  19. roll — a list
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cue — a hint
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cue — a signal

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