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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. saw — the tool
  4. capital — money
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wind — moving air
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. snap — to click
  15. cue — for pool
  16. club — a group
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bank — for money
  20. cue — a signal
  21. club — for golf
  22. capital — a city
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. file — a tool

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