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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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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 · stick · bank · bound · dip · file · rash · chip

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chip — for betting
  3. file — a tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rash — a series
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bank — of a river
  11. chip — to eat
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rash — hasty
  14. file — a document
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bound — certain
  24. dip — to dunk

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