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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — happy
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. season — in sport
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cue — for pool
  14. content — the amount
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. season — of the year
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bat — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cue — a hint
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — for baseball

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