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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. club — for golf
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. net — for catching
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — after costs
  13. present — there
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. present — a gift
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — the time now
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bank — for money
  22. bass — the fish
  23. club — a group
  24. bank — for money

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