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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. drill — army training
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — wild animals
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — clever
  11. track — to keep track
  12. spell — magic
  13. chip — for betting
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. game — a match
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. chip — in a computer

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