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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — a song
  13. bank — for money
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. track — a path
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bank — of a river

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