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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bank — of a river
  3. kick — in football
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rule — government
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — a law
  11. bank — for money
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mate — to breed
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fall — the season
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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