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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: file · bass · straw · rest · cue · bear · chair · press

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bear — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bear — the animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rest — a break
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cue — a signal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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