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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 · straw · branch · nail · game · race · ground · chair

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. race — humankind
  13. game — wild animals
  14. race — a contest
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cue — a hint
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cue — for pool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ground — a position

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