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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. game — a match
  4. bank — for money
  5. rule — a law
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spell — magic
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — government
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. spell — letters
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spell — a short time
  21. game — wild animals
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rule — to rule out

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