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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spring — of water
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bank — for money
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chip — to eat
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — for money
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. roll — a list
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bank — of a river
  19. chip — for betting
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — a coil

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