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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rule — government
  8. bound — certain
  9. rule — a law
  10. bound — tied together
  11. present — there
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. present — the time now
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. present — a gift
  18. bank — for money
  19. bound — obliged
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chair — to sit on

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