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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — for pool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. press — newspapers
  7. branch — a division
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. march — the month
  10. press — to push
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cue — a hint
  14. drill — a practice
  15. march — the month
  16. cue — a signal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lean — thin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. march — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. drill — army training

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