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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. game — a match
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bank — for money
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — a break
  18. field — farmland
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — wild animals
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pass — to succeed

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