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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — help
  6. season — in sport
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bank — for money
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. season — of the year
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bank — of a river

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