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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bank — for money
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. object — an aim
  8. swing — in golf
  9. object — to protest
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. march — the month
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. bank — of a river
  19. march — the month
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. march — music
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — the animal

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