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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. fine — all right
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. bank — of a river
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lean — thin
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hand — help
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — a phone
  20. lean — to bend
  21. shower — to wash
  22. march — music
  23. shower — rain
  24. hand — in cards

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