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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bank — for money
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. club — a group
  21. chest — a box
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. club — for golf
  24. rush — hurry

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