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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hand — help
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. firm — steady
  6. fall — the season
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — for sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — a line
  16. firm — a company
  17. bank — for money
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — a subject
  20. bank — of a river
  21. field — farmland
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a quarrel

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