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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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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kid — child
  4. branch — a division
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a match
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. roll — a list
  10. rock — a stone
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — wild animals
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. sharp — clever
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. roll — a cake
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rock — music
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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