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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pass — a permit
  3. present — there
  4. cell — in biology
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. present — the time now
  8. bank — for money
  9. club — for golf
  10. rash — a series
  11. chip — for betting
  12. club — a group
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. present — a gift
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bank — of a river
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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