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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: firm · kid · rule · drill · bank · land · straw · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. kid — child
  4. bank — of a river
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rule — government
  7. land — ground
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. kid — to tease
  12. land — to come down
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. firm — decided
  16. rule — a law
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. land — a country
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. drill — army training
  22. bank — for money
  23. drill — a practice
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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