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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chip — for betting
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — for digging
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pound — a weight
  8. season — in sport
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — a division
  13. chip — to eat
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — there
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mine — belonging to me

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