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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fine — all right
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. net — in sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bank — of a river
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — for catching
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. shower — rain
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. net — after costs
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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