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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — help
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. branch — a division
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. race — a contest
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. game — wild animals
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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