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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: bank · dip · jam · race · chair · mine · wind · pass

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. race — the arms race
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. dip — to sink

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