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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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. wound — an injury
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pit — in a race
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pit — a hole
  18. spring — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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