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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. staff — employees
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a song
  9. game — a match
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. staff — a stick
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. track — to keep track
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mine — belonging to me

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