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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bass — low music
  5. net — after costs
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — for catching
  10. spell — letters
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spell — magic
  20. game — a match
  21. bank — of a river
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. spell — a short time

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