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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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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bank — for money
  3. band — a music group
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bat — the animal
  6. press — to push
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — humankind
  12. court — of a king
  13. bank — of a river
  14. court — for sport
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of law
  20. press — newspapers
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. race — a contest
  23. band — a ring
  24. patient — a sick person

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