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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — to go on
  5. land — a country
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — finally
  8. net — in sport
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. press — a publisher
  11. game — a match
  12. net — for catching
  13. press — to push
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. press — newspapers
  17. firm — steady
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — ground
  22. bank — of a river
  23. last — final
  24. net — after costs

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