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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — a phone
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pop — to visit
  7. kick — in football
  8. chip — for betting
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pop — soda
  13. charge — in control
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chip — to eat
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pop — music
  24. shower — rain

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