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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — a match
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. bank — of a river
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. band — a ring
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mug — to rob
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bank — for money
  24. prune — to trim

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