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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — a series
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bank — of a river
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. deal — to handle
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. degree — from a university
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bank — for money
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fan — a supporter

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