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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 120 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: chip · mouse · kick · game · march · stick · foot · bank

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — music
  4. chip — to eat
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — of a river
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bank — for money
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kick — in football
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chip — for betting
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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