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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bank — for money
  3. pop — to visit
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. firm — decided
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tube — the underground
  8. hand — help
  9. firm — steady
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pop — music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bank — for money
  17. firm — a company
  18. bank — of a river
  19. face — to point toward
  20. squash — the sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pop — soda

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