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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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chest — a box
  4. game — a match
  5. mug — a face
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chip — to eat
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chip — for betting
  13. file — a tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chest — of your body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. file — a document
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — a cup
  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