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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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. ball — a dance
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. net — in sport
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. press — to push
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. branch — a division
  19. kid — child
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. net — after costs

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