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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bound — certain
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bank — for money
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. file — a line of people
  15. snap — to click
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bank — for money
  18. bound — tied together
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. season — of the year
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. season — in sport

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