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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bank — for money
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. swing — music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bank — for money
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hand — help
  15. lean — thin
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rest — a break
  24. swing — in golf

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