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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bank — for money
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. face — to point toward
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. face — part of the head
  10. game — wild animals
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. track — a song
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. face — to confront
  19. branch — a division
  20. hand — help
  21. game — a match
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cold — not warm
  24. game — a kind of play

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