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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fall — the season
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cue — a hint
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. cue — a signal
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. vault — a safe
  23. branch — a division
  24. cue — for pool

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