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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: ground · game · wake · kick · bank · cue · race · roll

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wake — a trail
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cue — a signal
  9. roll — a list
  10. ground — the earth
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. cue — a hint
  15. game — a match
  16. race — humankind
  17. bank — for money
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cue — for pool
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. race — a contest
  23. roll — a cake
  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