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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tube — the underground
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. tube — a container
  15. branch — a division
  16. game — wild animals
  17. roll — a list
  18. perch — the fish
  19. date — the fruit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mug — a cup
  24. roll — a cake

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