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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chip — for betting
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. file — a document
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. season — in sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — a division

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