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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. track — a song
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. track — a path
  11. game — a match
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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