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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. game — a match
  3. present — a gift
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. present — there
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. present — the time now
  17. chip — to eat
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fine — all right
  23. field — farmland
  24. branch — of a tree

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