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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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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 · bowl · branch · mate · press · chair · object · race

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chair — a leader
  8. object — a thing
  9. race — a contest
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mate — to breed
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. press — a publisher
  18. branch — a division
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. race — humankind
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. press — newspapers

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