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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: game · cue · bay · bank · clip · temple · field · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bank — for money
  6. game — wild animals
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. clip — a video
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. field — a subject
  11. clip — to cut
  12. field — farmland
  13. clip — for paper
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. game — a match
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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