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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — in sport
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stock — shares
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stock — goods
  13. chip — to eat
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cue — a hint
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. branch — a division
  22. cell — a phone
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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