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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: chair · bank · kick · fork · pass · stock · ball · mine

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — shares
  13. bank — for money
  14. kick — in football
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pass — a permit
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pass — to spend time

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