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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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. 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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bank — of a river
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pit — in a race
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pit — a hole
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cap — a lid
  12. key — the most important part
  13. game — a match
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bank — for money
  17. key — in music
  18. 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