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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. season — in sport
  6. race — a contest
  7. bank — of a river
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. race — humankind
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — of the year
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — in sport
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — for money
  21. cell — in biology
  22. net — after costs
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. race — the arms race

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