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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bank — for money
  4. hand — help
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bank — of a river
  10. scale — in music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ground — a position
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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