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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pop — music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bank — for money
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — in music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. last — finally
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — to go on
  13. pop — soda
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bank — of a river
  17. game — a match
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — size or range
  21. drill — army training
  22. last — final
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. drill — the tool

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