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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chip — for betting
  3. game — a match
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bank — for money
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a music group
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. land — ground
  18. bank — of a river
  19. band — a ring
  20. chip — to eat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pit — a hole
  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