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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cell — a phone
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bank — for money
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — in biology
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bank — of a river
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hide — animal skin

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