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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: deal · key · cap · track · bat · chair · bank · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bank — for money
  6. key — in music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cap — a lid
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. key — for a lock
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bank — for money
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. chair — a leader

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