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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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. last — final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pop — soda
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chip — for betting
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — to go on
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pop — music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. last — finally
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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