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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: jam · cabinet · hide · chair · tube · race · bank · fine

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. race — humankind
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bank — for money
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fine — all right
  24. tube — a container

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