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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spell — letters
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spell — magic
  9. board — a committee
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rush — hurry
  19. snap — to click
  20. bank — for money
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rush — a thrill

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