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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 · court · bank · bat · wake · mouse · spell · chip

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spell — letters
  6. court — of a king
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bat — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — a match
  17. court — for sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — magic

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