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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cell — a phone
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wound — an injury
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — to paddle
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bank — for money
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a line
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. suit — to fit
  24. jam — a tight spot

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