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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · track · chair · season · pit · mine · bank · straw

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pit — in a race
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — a song
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bank — for money
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bank — of a river
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chair — a leader
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. season — in sport

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