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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. firm — a company
  6. fine — all right
  7. rule — a law
  8. chair — a leader
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — for money
  16. rule — government
  17. firm — decided
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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