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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. file — a document
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bank — for money
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stock — shares
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. season — in sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitch — completely
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. scale — for weighing

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