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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
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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: court · game · swing · bank · bay · drill · mine · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — a match
  4. mine — for digging
  5. swing — in golf
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bank — for money
  9. staff — employees
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bank — of a river
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — wild animals
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. swing — to play on
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — music
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. drill — army training

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