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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — a line
  3. bank — for money
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. row — to paddle
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. chip — for betting
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chip — to eat
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mug — to rob
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mug — a face
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — child

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