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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. craft — boats
  3. bank — of a river
  4. file — a document
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. snap — to click
  7. file — a line of people
  8. root — the cause
  9. wind — moving air
  10. object — an aim
  11. game — wild animals
  12. object — a thing
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bank — for money
  15. game — a match
  16. root — of a plant
  17. file — a tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. object — to protest
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wind — moving air
  23. root — of a word
  24. bank — for money

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