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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cold — not warm
  4. last — to go on
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. kick — in football
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bank — for money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a line
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a music group
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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