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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bank — for money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. staff — employees
  8. firm — a company
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. drill — army training
  11. firm — decided
  12. drill — the tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. kid — child
  17. ground — a position
  18. kid — to tease
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cell — a phone
  21. firm — steady
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cell — in biology

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