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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bank — for money
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. stand — to bear
  13. row — to paddle
  14. game — a match
  15. row — a line
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bank — for money
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bank — of a river
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ruler — for measuring

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