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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chip — to eat
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chip — for betting
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. branch — a division

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