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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. file — a tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bank — for money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. last — to go on
  11. bank — of a river
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. file — a document
  15. last — final
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. last — finally
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. file — a line of people
  22. game — a match
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. game — wild animals

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