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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. branch — a division
  5. chip — to eat
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cold — an illness

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