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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bank — for money
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hand — in cards
  9. track — a song
  10. kid — child
  11. track — to keep track
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — help
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bank — for money
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. track — a path
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bank — of a river

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