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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. lie — to recline
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. file — a document
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a tool
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. straw — a straw man
  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