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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 116 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: press · cue · band · drill · court · rush · bear · vault

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. drill — army training
  5. cue — for pool
  6. court — for sport
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bear — the animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rush — hurry
  12. court — of a king
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. press — newspapers
  21. drill — a practice
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bear — to put up with

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