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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.

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: pitcher · wake · sharp · mine · bank · game · bay · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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