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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fine — all right
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bore — to tire
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cold — not warm
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bore — to drill
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bank — for money
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cold — an illness

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