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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bank — for money
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. kick — in football
  5. can — a tin
  6. court — of a king
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. court — of law
  13. bank — of a river
  14. court — for sport
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bank — for money
  21. drill — a practice
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mark — a grade

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