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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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — after costs
  8. wound — an injury
  9. swing — to play on
  10. last — to go on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bank — for money
  13. can — to be able to
  14. net — for catching
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. key — for a lock
  17. net — in sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. can — a tin
  20. swing — music
  21. rock — music
  22. can — a tin
  23. key — in music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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