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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. roll — a list
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — not warm
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cold — an illness
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — a match
  19. bank — of a river
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bank — for money
  22. ground — a position
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. roll — on a 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