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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — in control
  4. can — a tin
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. net — for catching
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. charge — a price
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rush — hurry
  15. can — to be able to
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. can — a tin
  19. bank — of a river
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — for money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. net — in sport
  24. chip — for betting

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