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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitch — completely
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. rule — government
  16. can — a tin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rule — a law
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — a coil

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