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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bank — for money
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — ground
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — the amount
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. land — to come down
  18. content — happy
  19. land — a country
  20. net — after costs
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — in sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chip — to eat

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