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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rush — hurry
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. face — part of the head
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — to hit hard

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