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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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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: safe · squash · game · degree · stock · court · nail · bank

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. degree — from a university
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. court — of law
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — a match
  12. court — for sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stock — goods
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bank — of a river

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