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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — a leader
  3. season — in sport
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. toast — bread
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — for catching
  14. stock — goods
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. bank — for money
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. net — after costs
  24. toast — the most admired

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