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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. staff — employees
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chip — to eat
  13. snap — to click
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitch — completely
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — a division
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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