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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. drill — army training
  3. present — there
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — letters
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. row — a line
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. present — the time now
  12. spell — a short time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. present — a gift
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spell — magic
  20. bank — for money
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bank — for money

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