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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rock — a stone
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. sharp — clever
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chip — to eat
  11. present — there
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rock — music
  16. branch — a division
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chip — in a computer

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