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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bank — for money
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bank — for money
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pound — a weight
  9. face — to point toward
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. face — to confront
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. spell — a short time
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — magic
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spell — letters
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cold — an illness

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