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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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Word bank
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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: court · spell · game · last · pass · bank · hide · bore

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bank — of a river
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bore — to tire
  8. court — of a king
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. game — a match
  15. bank — for money
  16. last — to go on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. spell — magic
  21. bore — to drill
  22. spell — a short time
  23. court — of law
  24. pass — a permit

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