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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chair — a leader
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. season — of the year
  10. swing — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — a line
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bank — for money
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. swing — in golf

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