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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — a hole
  9. branch — a division
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chip — for betting
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chip — to eat
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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