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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. kick — in football
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — the season
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bowl — to roll

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