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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — a position
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ground — crushed
  5. race — humankind
  6. chest — of your body
  7. suit — clothes
  8. staff — a stick
  9. race — a contest
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bank — for money
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bank — of a river
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — ground
  18. suit — to fit
  19. land — a country
  20. chest — a box
  21. land — to come down
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. staff — employees
  24. ground — the earth

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