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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spell — magic
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitch — completely
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spell — letters
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ground — a position
  20. bank — for money
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. ground — crushed

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