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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 124 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kid — child
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bank — for money
  8. stock — goods
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stock — shares
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bear — the animal

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