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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. race — the arms race
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. net — for catching
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. net — in sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. race — humankind
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. race — a contest
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. jam — in traffic

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