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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ball — a great time
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bank — for money
  7. fork — in a road
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. net — for catching
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. racket — for tennis

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