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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · club · last · cue · bank · pitch · cabinet · wound

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bank — for money
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — of a river
  13. club — for golf
  14. last — final
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. club — a group
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. last — finally
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cue — a hint

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