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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. roll — a list
  5. cue — a hint
  6. file — a document
  7. chair — a leader
  8. capital — money
  9. file — a line of people
  10. drill — the tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — army training
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — a city
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cue — for pool
  20. file — a tool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — a professorship

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