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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rash — a series
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fall — the season
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — of a river
  15. track — a path
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bank — for money
  24. ball — a dance

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