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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bat — the animal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. band — a music group
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. game — a match
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. game — wild animals
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hide — animal skin

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