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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — a match
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fine — all right
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bank — for money
  24. sharp — with an edge

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