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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bank — for money
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. content — happy
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mine — for digging
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. content — the amount
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pit — in a race

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