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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 120 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 · rash · firm · press · march · bound · cabinet · bat

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rash — a series
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bound — certain
  12. press — to push
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. firm — steady
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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