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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to click
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — a weight
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. field — for sport
  24. bank — of a river

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