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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bank — for money
  15. roll — a list
  16. field — a subject
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — for sport
  20. spell — letters
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chip — for betting
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — on a roll

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