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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cue — a hint
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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