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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pit — in a race
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. content — the amount
  8. net — for catching
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. last — final
  12. net — after costs
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. net — in sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. content — happy
  24. degree — from a university

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