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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · press · drill · lie · court · current · chest · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — of law
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. drill — a practice
  8. court — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. court — of a king
  14. cue — a signal
  15. current — electric
  16. cue — for pool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. drill — army training
  21. current — of water
  22. cue — a hint
  23. current — happening now
  24. wound — an injury

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