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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — army training
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a ring
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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