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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. march — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fall — the season
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — the month
  20. swing — music
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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