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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lie — to recline
  9. net — for catching
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. branch — a division
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — after costs
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chip — to eat
  24. net — in sport

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