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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — in sport
  3. object — to protest
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. object — an aim
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bank — for money
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bank — for money
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bank — of a river
  22. season — of the year
  23. chip — to eat
  24. object — a thing

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