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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: straw · sharp · bat · chair · roll · band · fine · bank

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. band — a music group
  3. roll — a list
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bank — of a river
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bank — for money
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fine — high quality
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — all right
  17. bat — the animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. chair — to sit on

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