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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: firm · hand · bank · snap · cue · land · march · racket

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — help
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. snap — to click
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bank — for money
  7. land — to come down
  8. bank — for money
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — ground
  11. firm — decided
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — a country
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bank — of a river
  16. march — music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. hand — in cards
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — part of the body

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