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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. craft — boats
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bank — for money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. face — part of the head
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chip — for betting
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bank — for money
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — a leader
  18. content — the amount
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. face — to confront
  22. race — a contest
  23. bank — of a river
  24. race — humankind

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