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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rule — government
  6. game — a match
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fall — the season
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rule — a law
  13. kid — child
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — of a river
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. capital — a big letter

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