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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — the season
  6. branch — a division
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — money
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. rest — a break
  14. capital — a city
  15. game — a match
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — a big letter

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