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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. file — a document
  6. band — a ring
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. court — of law
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — for betting
  13. band — a music group
  14. toast — bread
  15. present — a gift
  16. chip — to eat
  17. file — a tool
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wind — moving air

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