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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. game — a match
  4. cell — a phone
  5. board — to get on
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. net — in sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — a division
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pop — soda
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. net — for catching
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pop — to visit
  22. board — a committee
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. plane — a tool

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