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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. branch — a division
  6. chip — for betting
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rash — a series
  14. hand — in cards
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — final
  19. chip — to eat
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — hasty
  24. branch — of a tree

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