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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. track — a path
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rash — hasty
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — after costs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fine — all right
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. net — in sport
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — for catching

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