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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bank — for money
  3. court — for sport
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. shower — rain
  17. bank — of a river
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chip — for betting
  24. saw — the tool

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