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

Word bank: bank · ground · tear · cue · chair · nail · pass · bat

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bank — of a river
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pass — a permit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bank — for money

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