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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. game — a match
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — to cut
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. clip — a video
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bank — for money
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. game — wild animals
  17. date — the fruit
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bank — of a river
  21. chip — for betting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. band — a ring
  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