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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: rock · chest · race · bank · club · chair · toast · squash

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. club — for golf
  3. chair — a leader
  4. toast — bread
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bank — for money
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. squash — the sport
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. club — a group
  14. rock — music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. squash — to crush
  19. race — humankind
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chair — a professorship

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