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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a match
  3. scale — in music
  4. last — finally
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pop — music
  7. mate — a friend
  8. row — a line
  9. mate — to breed
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — a partner
  12. last — to go on
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. last — final
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fine — high quality
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pop — soda
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bank — for money
  24. row — a quarrel

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