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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to click
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bank — of a river
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bank — for money

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