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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — of law
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — a friend
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. game — a match
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ground — a position
  23. content — happy
  24. court — for sport

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