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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: bowl · chair · pit · chest · plane · bank

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bank — for money
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chest — a box
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pit — in a race
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — a tool

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