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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — for betting
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ground — a position
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bank — for money
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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