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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. chest — of your body
  10. craft — boats
  11. branch — a division
  12. charge — a price
  13. sharp — clever
  14. chest — a box
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — of your body
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fan — a supporter

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