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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bat — the animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stand — to bear
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — help
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bay — a horse colour

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