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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rock — a stone
  19. game — a match
  20. fall — the season
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rock — to move gently

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