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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rule — a law
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rock — a stone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bank — for money
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bank — of a river
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — the animal
  13. content — happy
  14. rock — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — government
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — the amount

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