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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — goods
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stock — shares
  9. chair — a leader
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — a match
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bank — for money
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. scale — in music

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