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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: band · stick · press · lean · cue · fall · bat · racket

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a music group
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cue — a hint
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. press — to push
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — thin
  17. press — newspapers
  18. band — a ring
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fall — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — in an idiom

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