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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 · stick · ruler · bowl · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bank — of a river

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