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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. bound — obliged
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — of water
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. bank — for money
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stock — shares
  18. bank — of a river
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. stock — goods
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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