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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bank — of a river
  3. march — the month
  4. bank — for money
  5. fine — all right
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rest — a break
  10. kick — in football
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bank — for money
  14. march — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rest — what's left
  21. plane — a tool
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fine — high quality

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