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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. current — happening now
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. row — a line
  7. current — electric
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. land — to come down
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — of water
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — a country
  19. bass — low music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pit — a hole
  23. branch — a division
  24. chip — to eat

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