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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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 tree
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — a division
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ball — a dance
  7. game — a match
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chip — to eat
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitch — completely
  23. game — wild animals
  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