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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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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: ruler · chair · toast · lie · saw · present · bank · kick

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. present — a gift
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — the time now
  10. toast — bread
  11. kick — in football
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chair — a leader
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bank — of a river
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. present — there
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lie — to recline

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