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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a signal
  5. face — to confront
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bank — of a river
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bank — for money
  11. dip — to sink
  12. clip — a video
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. capital — money
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — a series
  24. capital — a city

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