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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — the animal
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fork — in a road
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chip — to eat
  22. saw — the tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bat — in an idiom

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