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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a match
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in biology
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cell — a phone
  12. game — wild animals
  13. firm — a company
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. firm — steady
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fall — the season
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. deal — to handle
  23. firm — decided
  24. perch — the fish

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