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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. spell — a short time
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. board — a committee
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kid — child
  15. spell — magic
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — a division
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spell — letters
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — a series
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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