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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pit — a hole
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. present — a gift
  7. branch — a division
  8. mug — a face
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pit — in a race
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — the time now
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rest — a break
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. present — there
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wound — an injury

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