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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · chair · toast · racket · bowl · calf

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — for money
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. toast — bread
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bank — of a river
  18. racket — for tennis

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