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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: game · nail · bank · sharp · season · field · squash · kick

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bank — for money
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. sharp — clever
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. game — a match
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. field — farmland
  16. season — in sport
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — a subject
  22. bank — of a river
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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