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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · straw · press · scale · tube · chip · cue · fall

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hand — help
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cue — a hint
  10. press — newspapers
  11. scale — in music
  12. press — to push
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fall — the season
  21. tube — a container
  22. scale — size or range
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fall — to drop

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