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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bank — of a river
  9. court — of a king
  10. fork — in a road
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. court — of law
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. court — for sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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