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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. content — the amount
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. content — happy
  8. bank — for money
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. foot — a measure
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wake — a trail
  24. foot — part of the body

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