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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 116 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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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. squash — to crush
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — a division
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. branch — of a tree

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