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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cell — in biology
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. branch — a division
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chip — for betting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cell — a phone
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ground — a position

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