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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: straw · bank · chair · key · rule · staff · dip · jam

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. 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. chair — a professorship
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chair — a leader
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. key — the most important part
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — for money
  14. key — for a lock
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. dip — to sink
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. 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