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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bank — for money
  5. key — for a lock
  6. game — a match
  7. key — the most important part
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. board — a committee
  11. object — an aim
  12. bank — of a river
  13. snap — to click
  14. object — to protest
  15. key — in music
  16. object — a thing
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. game — wild animals
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. board — to get on
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bank — for money
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mine — an explosive

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