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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bat — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. bank — for money
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. key — the most important part
  16. firm — steady
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. key — in music
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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