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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — an amount
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tube — the underground
  9. chip — to eat
  10. branch — a division
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stand — to bear
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — a box
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tube — a container

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