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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bank — for money
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rash — a series
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. shower — to wash
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. suit — to fit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. shower — rain
  19. suit — clothes
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — of a river
  24. content — happy

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