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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. spell — letters
  3. shower — to wash
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pit — a hole
  6. can — a tin
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — magic
  17. chip — to eat
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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