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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. hand — help
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — a match
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. game — wild animals
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitch — completely
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — a division
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitch — a sports field

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