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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lean — thin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — a face
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mug — to rob
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bat — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. branch — a division
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. band — a ring
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. net — after costs
  21. cue — a signal
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bat — in an idiom

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