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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 116 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stem — to come from
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rash — a series
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — a match
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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