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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. scale — size or range
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. game — a match
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. scale — in music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. land — ground
  11. content — happy
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. land — a country
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. land — to come down
  17. content — the amount
  18. game — wild animals

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