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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: chair · pitcher · race · bank · land · current · lie · ruler

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bank — of a river
  3. race — a contest
  4. land — to come down
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. current — of water
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. current — electric
  15. land — ground
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bank — for money
  20. land — a country
  21. current — happening now
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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