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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bank — for money
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — a container
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ground — the earth
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bank — of a river
  24. ground — a position

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