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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: foot · file · cabinet · cue · bowl · press · tear · kick

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cue — for pool
  4. kick — in football
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. press — newspapers
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. press — to push
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bowl — to roll
  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