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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bass — low music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bank — for money
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a lid
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. drill — army training
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. kick — in football
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bank — of a river
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bass — the fish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. chair — a professorship

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