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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tube — the underground
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rash — hasty
  5. swing — to play on
  6. firm — a company
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. swing — music
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. tube — a container
  18. firm — steady
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cold — not warm
  23. branch — a division
  24. firm — decided

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