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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: date · kid · net · bore · cue · press · cell · leaves

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cue — a signal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. net — in sport
  5. bore — to tire
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. press — a publisher
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. press — to push
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cell — a phone
  16. net — after costs
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — for catching
  19. cue — a hint
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cue — for pool
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bore — to drill

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