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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. present — there
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — an injury
  10. present — a gift
  11. pit — in a race
  12. club — for golf
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bank — of a river
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cell — in biology

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