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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. bank — of a river
  4. net — in sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — for catching
  7. object — a thing
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. net — after costs
  10. bank — for money
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — to crush
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — the sport

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