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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: mug · chair · nail · mate · court · hide · bank · mark

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bank — for money
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mate — to breed
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mug — a face
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of law
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. court — for sport
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bank — of a river

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