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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: present · object · bound · rule · ball · chair · content · bank

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. present — a gift
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — a law
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — a leader
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bank — of a river
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. object — a thing
  19. present — the time now
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. present — there
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ball — a great time

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