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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. can — a tin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pit — a hole
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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