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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rock — a stone
  3. game — a match
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. bank — for money
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. shower — rain
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spell — magic
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. game — wild animals

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