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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fine — all right
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fine — high quality
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fine — a penalty

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