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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chip — to eat
  4. band — a ring
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. branch — a division
  20. stand — to bear
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bowl — a dish

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