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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. game — wild animals
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pitch — completely
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pound — a weight

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