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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 124 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: kid · bank · game · field · bound · sharp · kick · shower

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — obliged
  3. sharp — clever
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. field — for sport
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bank — for money
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. field — a subject
  16. bound — certain
  17. bank — of a river
  18. kick — in football
  19. kid — child
  20. bound — tied together
  21. game — wild animals
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bank — for money
  24. field — farmland

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