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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. game — a match
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. court — of law
  6. tube — a container
  7. present — the time now
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rule — government
  13. present — a gift
  14. game — wild animals
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — of a king
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rule — a law
  19. court — for sport
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bank — for money
  24. rule — to rule out

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