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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. court — of law
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bank — of a river
  6. lean — to bend
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bank — for money
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bank — for money
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — the Cold War

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