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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — certain
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. game — a match
  14. craft — boats
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — to tire
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. season — of the year
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pound — to hit hard

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