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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — a box
  7. rash — a series
  8. chip — for betting
  9. net — in sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chair — a leader
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — after costs
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — hasty
  24. branch — a division

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