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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — of a river
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bank — for money
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pit — in a race
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a line
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bank — for money
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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