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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. game — a match
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pound — a weight
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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