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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.

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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cue — a hint
  6. press — to push
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a document
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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