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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. game — a match
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — of a king
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bank — of a river
  10. root — of a word
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. root — of a plant
  13. court — of law
  14. bank — for money
  15. cue — a signal
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lean — thin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. root — the cause
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cue — a hint
  24. game — a kind of play

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