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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. can — to be able to
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chip — to eat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — help
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chip — in a computer

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