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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bank — for money
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cue — a hint
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bank — of a river
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wind — moving air

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