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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 116 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cell — a phone
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — a contest
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kick — in football
  15. mate — a friend
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. kick — a thrill

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