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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bank — for money
  4. land — ground
  5. march — the month
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bank — of a river
  13. land — to come down
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. march — music
  17. land — a country
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pitch — a sports field

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