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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kick — in football
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. snap — to click
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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