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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bank — for money
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. current — of water
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bank — for money
  16. hand — help
  17. roll — a list
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — army training
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — child
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. current — happening now

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