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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — in sport
  3. land — to come down
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bank — for money
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spell — letters
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — finally
  14. land — ground
  15. spell — a short time
  16. last — final
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spell — magic
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — for catching
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bank — of a river
  24. land — a country

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