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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. vault — a safe
  3. kid — to tease
  4. firm — a company
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bank — for money
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. firm — decided
  12. bank — for money
  13. track — a path
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bank — of a river
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. track — a song
  21. kid — child
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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