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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. staff — employees
  4. bank — for money
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bank — for money
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. sharp — clever
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hand — help
  13. staff — employees
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. leaves — lets stay

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