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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bank — of a river
  4. last — to go on
  5. court — of a king
  6. last — final
  7. game — a match
  8. net — in sport
  9. court — of law
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — for money
  13. mug — a face
  14. pit — in a race
  15. last — finally
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. board — a committee
  19. game — wild animals
  20. court — for sport
  21. board — to get on
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bank — for money

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