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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rule — government
  14. ground — a position
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chip — for betting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. face — to confront
  21. ground — crushed
  22. chip — to eat
  23. branch — a division
  24. chip — in a computer

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