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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. swing — in golf
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spell — magic
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a song
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spell — letters
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. face — to point toward
  21. kid — child
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chip — to eat

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