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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. can — a tin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wind — moving air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pitch — completely
  15. can — a tin
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. kid — child
  24. pitcher — a jug

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