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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. track — a path
  3. cue — a signal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spell — letters
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cold — an illness
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — for money
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — money
  13. track — a song
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — to keep track
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — of a river
  23. spell — magic
  24. cue — a hint

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