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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a match
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — to point toward
  12. land — ground
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. bank — for money
  24. face — to confront

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