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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · chip · land · club · kid · drill · rush · bank

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. drill — a practice
  3. club — for golf
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. club — for dancing
  7. kid — child
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bank — of a river
  11. drill — army training
  12. game — a match
  13. bank — for money
  14. club — a group
  15. chip — for betting
  16. game — wild animals
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. bank — for money

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