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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: game · ball · deal · hide · bank · field · hand · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bank — for money
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. game — a match
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. field — for sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. game — wild animals
  18. deal — to handle
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. hand — help
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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