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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. game — a match
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — music
  6. last — finally
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bank — of a river
  11. last — to go on
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. last — final
  14. rash — a series
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. kick — in football
  24. rash — on the skin

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