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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. squash — to crush
  3. track — to keep track
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. ground — a position
  7. track — a path
  8. game — wild animals
  9. track — a song
  10. pop — music
  11. court — of law
  12. game — a match
  13. ground — crushed
  14. court — of a king
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bank — of a river
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bank — for money

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