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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chip — for betting

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