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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: tear · court · bank · rash · game · wound · key · mate

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of law
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tear — from crying
  10. court — for sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bank — for money
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bank — of a river
  18. game — a match
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tear — from crying
  24. court — of a king

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