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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. band — a ring
  8. season — of the year
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ground — the earth
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. club — a group
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — in cards
  18. club — for golf
  19. hand — help
  20. club — for dancing
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a music group
  23. bank — of a river
  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