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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: pop · hand · mate · mark · game · season · deal · bank

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bank — of a river
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — a trace
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hand — help
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. pop — to visit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. pop — music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pop — soda
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mate — to breed

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