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

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bank — for money
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. game — a match
  7. bank — for money
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fall — the season
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stock — goods
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stock — shares
  18. game — a kind of play

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