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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chip — to eat
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rule — government
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. court — for sport
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pound — a weight
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — of a king
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — a box
  22. lean — thin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chest — of your body

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