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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chip — for betting
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. chip — to eat
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mark — a grade
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. cell — in biology
  15. march — music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. suit — to fit
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chip — in a computer

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