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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. craft — boats
  3. track — a song
  4. bank — for money
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. charge — electricity
  12. track — to keep track
  13. object — an aim
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. bank — for money
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. charge — in control
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. track — a path
  24. pitcher — a jug

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