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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: clip · bay · suit · mine · press · bat · current · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. press — to push
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. current — electric
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. suit — clothes
  16. press — newspapers
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. suit — in cards
  23. current — happening now
  24. clip — a video

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