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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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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: cold · club · bound · fine · rock · pitch · bank · last

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. last — final
  10. bound — obliged
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. last — to go on
  15. bound — certain
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — finally
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fine — all right
  21. bank — for money
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rock — music

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