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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. last — finally
  6. rest — a break
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. last — to go on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rule — government
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. can — a tin
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rash — a series
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bank — of a river
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bank — for money
  21. rule — a law
  22. rest — what's left
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — final

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