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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bank — for money
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. drill — the tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rash — hasty
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kid — child
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. drill — army training
  19. face — to confront
  20. bank — of a river
  21. face — part of the head
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. face — to point toward

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