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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: date · mate · present · spell · key · chest · bank · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — a gift
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. present — the time now
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bank — for money
  15. key — the most important part
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. present — there
  20. chest — a box
  21. spell — a short time
  22. date — the fruit
  23. key — in music
  24. date — on the calendar

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