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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rule — government
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bank — for money
  8. object — to protest
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rule — a law
  12. court — of a king
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — for sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. court — of law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bank — of a river

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