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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 120 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: chair · rule · cue · bank · net · cap · lean · mug

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bank — for money
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cue — for pool
  7. net — after costs
  8. rule — a law
  9. net — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cue — a hint
  12. net — for catching
  13. lean — thin
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mug — a face
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rule — government
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mug — to rob

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