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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bank — for money
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — employees
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chair — a leader
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. staff — a stick
  18. net — in sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — for catching
  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