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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fall — to drop
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. present — the time now
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — an illness
  10. charge — in control
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. charge — electricity
  14. present — a gift
  15. fall — the season
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. charge — a price
  20. cold — not warm
  21. game — wild animals
  22. present — there
  23. game — a match
  24. cabinet — ministers

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