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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hand — in cards
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ball — a dance
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ground — a position
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tube — a container
  14. ground — the earth
  15. game — a match
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. hand — part of the body

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