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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. branch — a division
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. club — for golf
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. game — a match
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. land — a country
  18. club — a group
  19. game — wild animals
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — for dancing
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — ground

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