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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — help
  9. board — a committee
  10. bank — of a river
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — to get on
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. band — a ring
  18. stock — goods
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bank — for money
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rule — a law
  23. band — a music group
  24. rule — government

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