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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pop — music
  4. kick — in football
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. file — a document
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — magic
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. file — a tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — letters
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. spell — a short time

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