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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: chest · firm · mark · chair · arm · date · bank · net

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. date — the fruit
  3. net — in sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. net — after costs
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — for catching
  11. chest — a box
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. firm — a company
  18. chest — of your body
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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