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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: chest · rule · safe · ball · pop · court · bank · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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 leader
  2. bank — for money
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. court — of a king
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pop — music
  14. court — of law
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. court — for sport
  18. rule — a law
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chest — a box
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  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