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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bank — of a river
  3. game — a match
  4. track — a song
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — to keep track
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. season — of the year
  10. rest — what's left
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — help
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. track — a path
  24. bank — for money

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