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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. mate — to breed
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. chest — a box
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — a division
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — to be able to

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