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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wind — moving air
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitch — completely
  24. patient — a sick person

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