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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — to wash
  3. court — for sport
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spell — magic
  6. bass — the fish
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. court — of a king
  10. bank — for money
  11. bass — low music
  12. land — to come down
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. land — ground
  15. court — of law
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spell — letters
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chair — a leader
  21. shower — rain
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — a country
  24. prune — to trim

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