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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — boats
  3. charge — a price
  4. bank — of a river
  5. shower — to wash
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bank — for money
  10. charge — in control
  11. game — a match
  12. chip — for betting
  13. net — for catching
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. net — in sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. net — after costs
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — to eat
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bank — for money
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

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