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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: fall · pitcher · mug · cue · lean · race · club · jam

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cue — a signal
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — a contest
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fall — to drop
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. club — a group
  18. lean — thin
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mug — a face
  21. fall — the season
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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